South Australian Truck and Machinery (SA-TM) recently announced it had taken on the South Australian distributorship for the Humma line of articulated pick and carry cranes. The appointment fits in well with other brands of cranes already represented by SA-TM, says Sales director Simon Malyan.
At the end of 2021, SA-TM announced it had taken on the role as the South Australian distributor for the Humma pick and carry range manufactured by DRA Engineering.
SA-TM is a new up and coming family-run business. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, the business has gone from strength to strength and Malyan explains why.
“We are still battling with Covid, as everyone is, and we have had ups and downs. But, overall, it has been a positive start for the business. The feedback from our customers, on everything we are trying to achieve, has been great,” Malyan said.
The Humma pick and carry range adds another string to the SA-TM bow, with the company already selling and supporting other mobile cranes including JMG, Multilift and Hiab.
“These new machines have capacities ranging from 20t, 25t, 35t, and 55t and, in our opinion, the Humma is a world-class crane. It is designed, engineered and manufactured in Western Australia by DRA Engineering, another family-owned and managed business passionate about what it does. We expected sales to go through the roof and they already have,” Malyan said.
“For SA-TM, being appointed the distributor for Humma was all about diversifying what we had and what we were doing, and we knew a large percentage of customers were looking for a mobile crane like the Humma,” he said.
Peter Dalla Riva, operations director for DRA Group, which builds and supplies the Humma Cranes, discusses what sets the Humma apart from its competitors.
“Pick and carry means the ‘load is dynamic’, not constant, and the structure, booms, and componentry must cope with these dynamics. Competitors today still do not take this feature into consideration, which affects reliability and operating costs, and increases downtime and repairs.
“With 25 years of proven field results, Humma offers 15 year/15,000hrs for the first major inspection and proven ‘life cost’ of 20–25 per cent of the MAC25 and comes with two-year/2,000 hour warranty,” he said.
Humma 25, unlike the competitors, has a larger wheelbase with no requirement for a removeable counterweight. With its 2.5m width and axle weight below 12 tonnes it can carry up to 1.5t of rigging gear with no permits required.
Humma 35 MK3 is the workhorse, designed to lift and move 35t when fitted with the removeable 3,000kg counterweight. Without the counterweight it is a heavy-duty 25t, outlifting the MAC25.
Owners often say the Humma 35 is a bloody good lifter and Dalla Riva’s response is “you overloaded” and the response is “yes, but only a little”. The reason it is a good lifter is that the structure and booms are built to handle 35t, so, when used as a 25t, it has considerably more inbuilt strength when compared to a Humma 25, Tidd 28 or MAC25. With over 200 Hummas built since 1996, no Humma booms have been bent whilst lifting.
Humma has the same footprint for all models. The chassis loadings are always in the same position and the design eliminates twist which in turn eliminates weld cracking and maintains crane stability as it articulates from 0° to 42°.
Humma drivers with experience with Tidd and Franna cranes find Humma is very safe when articulating with a load.
The Humma 55-25 55 pick and carry has an impressive 55t lifting capacity with advanced dynamic hydraulic suspension, which allows the Humma to operate in places never thought possible. With automatic levelling engaged, the Humma can pick and carry over uneven ground, up to 5 degrees side slope, without need for deration charts and is fully road registerable in all states on annual permits.
The Humma cranes from DRA Engineering are made entirely in Australia, which is privately owned, with the company celebrating 50 years in 2021.
All fabrication and assembly is done in Perth with all major components – cylinders, winch, lighting, hydraulics from Europe, others from Australia.
“Apart from the structural design of the chassis and booms, the performance and reliability of a pick and carry depends on using quality componentry proven in plant such as loaders, where loads are lifted, articulated, and moved on rough surfaces,” Bearings and axle selection is important, as is the engine. Humma is the only crane with ADR 80/02 automotive diesel engine with low emissions and fuel usage of up to 25 per cent lower than industrial diesel engines. We are delighted to have SA-TM as our distributor for South Australia. Simon and his team understand the challenges of the crane sector and they have managed to grow their business in a short period of time. They are a customer-focused organisation with an ideal facility for the cranes. DRA Engineering looks forward to a long and positive business relationship with the team at SA-TM,” said Dalla Riva.
Malayan explains the decision was simple for the team at SA-TM to approach Dalla Riva to supply the cranes.
“There was a gap in the market for a decent machine and Peter put his money into developing this machine and the results speak for themselves,” Malyan said.
“For me, the reasons to distribute Humma were clear, it is a very reliable machine. Stringent field testing proved this initially and there are now plenty of Hummas in the market and numerous customers will testify to its reliability. The specifications and lift charts make the Humma an excellent all-rounder. In my opinion, it is definitely a step-up in the pick and carry market. The feedback so far has been very positive. Customers talk about Hummas being a good-looking machine and we are able to demonstrate what a great all-round machine they are, especially for operators,” Malyan said.
The SA-TM facility is in Regency Park, South Australia, an industrial estate has been built especially for heavy machinery companies. “We have a fully equipped workshop, wash bay, paint booth and two service vans that can go out and service breakdowns, ensuring we can keep our customers’ assets fully utilised.” For enquiries contact Simon Malyan on 0436370475 or at simon.malyan@sa-tm.com.au